I always took the shortest path to my house; it was an alley near the commercial district, that way I avoided going all the way around. Although it was a dark place, it was generally deserted; I had used the shortcut so many times that the fear had reduced enough to cross it without much hesitation. But to be sure, if I happened to hear a strange noise, I would run away terrified as if my life were at stake.
Using the shortcut, I would reach the south exit of the town. My uncle and I lived in a cabin located after a fork without streetlamps ; the paths were dark and no one from the town passed by the place. Because of this, I always carried an oil lantern hanging from my belt, along with some matches and a hunting knife, in case I needed to defend myself.
When I arrived at the outskirts of the cabin, I realized that all the lights were off. Generally, we carefully lit the lanterns scattered around the house, along with the fireplace. One could know about the presence of the other if they saw the fireplace lit.
"It seems Uncle Yamato hasn't arrived. I wonder when he will have some free time".
I contemplated my surroundings; I needed to eat and, apparently, we didn't have anything prepared. I wasn't exactly a skilled cook ; above all, I was quite lazy. I hadn't even realized that I had run out of both cooked rice and the broth that an old friend had given me. I regretted not going to beg for a little more food; I would rather spend the whole night wandering through the forest than deign to cook something decent.
But, luckily, I had a lot of potatoes. And among the a thousand and one recipes they were useful for, there was one perfect for the problem:
A pot, half a dozen potatoes, a ladle, water, and salt. And just like that, after waiting an hour or two: it was ready: boiled potatoes and some dried meat for emergencies.
While eating that "delicacy" that I clearly didn't praise solely out of the laziness of not cooking, I managed to catch a glimpse of my mother's framed portrait out of the corner of my eye. She had died a long time ago; I remembered her smile fondly and regretted not having done more for her during her illness. Looking back, before succumbing to her ailments. She said:
"Don't be sad, even if I'm not here... we will be proud of you. Both me and your father".
Every time I saw that painting, that sad memory tormented me.
"I still miss you... It's been so long since your death, that I can't... simply forget you. Are you still proud of me?".
I lost my appetite; the tears gave the food a salty taste. Every time I remembered that, I couldn't help but be consumed by that melancholic nostalgia. I caressed the portrait, turning it against the wall after finishing that. I couldn't let the past consume me, not again.
I began to dream; in the dream I was a great adventurer, just like the people I admired. I was freer than anyone else, I possessed great power. And yet, that power ended up being useless, I failed in my mission. Most of those dreams ended like that, I never knew why. Corpses tore at the ground and clung to my body, sometimes, even being awake; I could hear their murmurs. Even awake, I would shoot up with a jump upon remembering those cold hands clinging to my skin. The cold sweat running down my body brought me back to reality. The recurring nightmare was over.
I quickly left the house, sat on the porch, and contemplated the forest while enjoying the air, that way I managed to calm down. Even if just a little.
"What should I do today? Ah, right. I have to meet up with Gell," I commented out loud.
After the rest, I made sure to take all the things I had prepared for my first mission. Although it was likely that we wouldn't go adventuring that same day, I was so anxious that: I couldn't feel at ease without my equipment. I walked down an unusual route, I wanted to give the two lovebirds some time before bothering them with my presence. I passed through the commercial district without paying much attention to the commotion that was happening.
"Hey kid, come take a look".
A merchant spoke to me, he had a strange artifact with metal edges, in it I could reflect myself as if it were water, but it was clearer... almost perfect.
"What is this, sir?".
The merchant brought it close to my face.
"This is a magic crystal, I got it from some nobles who had bad luck on their travels, are you interested?".
I looked closely at that artifact, wondering if the depressing-looking figure reflected in it was truly me. I took my coin purse and rummaged through it, I didn't have much allowance money left, but there was an odd gold piece in there.
"How much is this worth, sir?".
The man became happy.
"If you give me ten gold coins, it's all yours".
I started to laugh nervously.
"You see, it's just that I don't have that much money".
The merchant pulled aside some fabrics and took out a much smaller one.
"How much do you have?" he questioned while analyzing me.
I rummaged through the purse again, I had four gold pieces, two silver, and one bronze penny.
"About three gold pieces?" I replied, it wasn't a good idea to tell him exactly how much I had either.
The merchant smiled, snatched the gold coins I had just taken out, and placed a small artifact surrounded by iron with broken glass in my hands. After that, he looked me directly in the eyes and said: "This will be enough, thank you for your purchase".
I was so stunned by the sudden and almost forced transaction, that I didn't even stop to think that the bastard had robbed me of 3 gold pieces without hesitating for a single second.